Wimbledon Introduces Video Replay System This Season.
The tournament joins the American and Australian Opens in implementing video review technology.
Video review systems are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the option to question certain decisions made by the official, echoing the protocol currently in operation at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system will be accessible on the main stadium and Court One for the duration of the Championships and on the remaining featured courts when they are hosting singles contests.
This step comes just a year after the All England Club introduced electronic line calling, which effectively ended the centuries-old role of line officials.
Scope of Challenges
Players will not be permitted to challenge the call of the ELC system, but they can request the official to review specific situations, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- Whether a ball touched an rival's racket or body during play.
- Potential interference at the conclusion of a rally.
Notably, there is an unlimited number on the number of reviews a competitor can initiate.
Practical Application
An illustrative example took place in a recent tournament last week, where a top player initiated the video challenge against his opponent.
The British player admitted it was a tough situation for the official, but thought his rival had "used the regulations effectively."
Official Aurelie Tourte viewed a replay and ruled Draper was responsible for hindrance, granting the point to Medvedev.
Broader Adoption
Video reviews aren't new for major tournaments. It has been in use at the US Open for two years and the Australian Open this year.
Furthermore, it is becoming more common on the women’s WTA Tour, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have video reviews implemented at all of its tournaments.
Further Updates
A further innovation at Wimbledon 2025 will be the introduction of graphical cues on displays to complement the audio calls from the ELC system.
This solves instances where fans have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was out or in.
In other news, with exactly 100 days to go until the start of the tournament, organizers have also announced an expansion in daily capacity at the qualifying competition in the qualifying venue.
